Free advice for students

How graduate consulting recruitment usually works

Most graduate consulting processes follow a similar shape, even if each firm names the stages differently:

1. An online application form.
2. Online tests, sometimes with a questionnaire about how you like to work.
3. A video interview, usually recorded rather than live.
4. An assessment day, in person or online.
5. A final interview.

Some firms merge stages or add extras, such as a job simulation. Others skip one. Read each firm’s careers pages, and follow the instructions in every invite. They tell you what you’ll actually be assessed on.

My guides map out each firm’s process stage by stage. See the guides.

When to apply

Many firms recruit on a rolling basis. They review applications as they come in and can close a scheme early once it’s full. A published deadline isn’t a promise the role will still be open.

So apply early, but not before your application is good. A rushed form sent in week one is worse than a careful one sent in week three.

Check the rules on how often you can apply. Many firms only let you apply once per recruitment season, or limit how many programmes you can choose. Pick carefully.

Track every application

If you’re applying to more than a couple of firms, you will lose track. Different portals, different logins, emails from addresses you don’t recognise, and test links that expire in a few days.

A simple spreadsheet fixes this. I kept one when I was job hunting. Set yours up before you send your first application, with one row per application and these columns:

Column	What to put in it
Firm	The firm’s name.
Role or programme	The exact programme name and location you chose.
Type	Graduate scheme, internship or placement.
Location	The city or office, or remote.
Salary	If it’s published.
Date applied	The day you pressed submit.
Stage	Applied, online tests, video interview, assessment day, final interview, offer or rejected.
Next step and deadline	For example, “Video interview, complete by 14 November”.
Link	The job advert.
Portal and email	Which careers site you used and which email address. Never your password.
Notes	Who you spoke to, the questions you were asked, any feedback.

A few habits that make it work:

• Save the job advert as a PDF when you apply. Adverts often come down once a scheme closes, and you’ll want to reread it before your interview.
• Update it the same day something changes. An invite, a rejection, a new deadline.
• Sort by deadline so the next thing due is always at the top.
• Use the notes column after every stage. Write down the questions you were asked while you still remember them.

Your application

Be honest about grades, dates and work experience. Firms check, and an offer can be withdrawn if something doesn’t add up.

Use a professional email address you check every day, because invites can come with short deadlines. Read each question properly and answer the one they asked. And if you need adjustments, such as extra time on tests, ask for them. Firms have a process for this, so use it.

Online tests

• Practise the format first. Knowing the question types takes a lot of the stress away.
• Pick a quiet room and a time you won’t be interrupted, and use a laptop with a reliable connection.
• On the questions about how you like to work, answer as yourself. Trying to guess the “right” answer tends to make your answers contradict each other.
• Do them on your own. Firms don’t allow outside help, and that includes AI tools. It isn’t worth the risk to your application.
• Watch the deadline. Test links often expire after a few days, which is another reason to keep your tracker up to date.

Video interviews

Most early-stage video interviews are recorded. A question appears on screen, you get some thinking time, then you record your answer.

• For questions about your experience, use STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Spend most of your time on the Action. What did you do?
• Prepare bullet points, not a script. Reading a script out sounds flat.
• Camera at eye level, light in front of you rather than behind, a plain background and your phone on silent.
• Record yourself once or twice before the real thing. It feels awkward. Better to feel awkward now than on the day.

Assessment days and group exercises

In a group exercise, assessors watch how you work with other people as much as whether your idea wins.

• If someone hasn’t spoken, ask what they think.
• Talking the most isn’t the same as leading.
• Keep an eye on the time and the brief, and gently pull the group back if it drifts.
• Near the end, sum up what the group has agreed. It’s simple and easy to forget.

Be friendly to everyone you meet on the day, including the other candidates.

Commercial awareness without the stress

Commercial awareness sounds bigger than it is. You don’t need to read the business pages cover to cover.

Pick two stories a week. For each one, write down:

• What happened?
• Who’s affected? Customers, staff, competitors, the government?
• What’s your view, and why?

After a couple of months you’ll have plenty to talk about, and you’ll have practised giving an opinion. That matters more than knowing every headline.

Each of my guides includes a research routine for that firm. See the guides.

What to wear

Wear business formal for interviews and assessment days, unless the firm tells you otherwise. That includes video interviews, and you’ll feel more switched on, too.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive or tailored suit. A cheap one can still look good, as long as it fits and it’s clean and ironed. Wear it once before the day so nothing surprises you.

If it doesn’t work out

Rejections happen to strong candidates all the time. It’s a numbers game as well as a skills one.

• Ask for feedback. Not every firm gives it, but it’s worth asking politely.
• Write down what you’d do differently while it’s fresh. Your tracker’s notes column is the place for it.
• Check the reapply rules. They differ by firm, and some ask you to wait before applying again.
• Keep going. You win or you learn.